The Lilith Blog

June 4, 2020 by admin

Black Lives Matter: Read, Learn, and Act

In the wake of this most recent horrific moment of racist violence and white supremacy, the Lilith staff would like to share the articles we’ve been reading and rereading–the organizations we’ve been following, and resources we’ve been turning to.  

We also want to hear from you: what have you been reading, asking, wrestling with, learning from, supporting? Because we’re in this with you- committing to listen, deepen our anti-racism learning & act in solidarity with Black communities, Jews of Color, Indigenous people, & communities of color for racial equity and a just world. 

Read

• We are Dying Because of the Fears of White People by Dena Robinson for Lilith Magazine.
• It looks like Amy Cooper, the white woman in the viral Central Park video, is a liberal. That’s important. By Nylah Burton for The Independent.
• As the George Floyd protests continue, let’s be clear where the violence is coming from. By Rebecca Solnit for the Guardian.

Watch

• Ask Yourself by Lauren Whitney. 

Donate

• Directory of Community Bail Funds.

There are so many organizations doing incredible racial justice work. We wanted to highlight the following organizations that are run for and by women of color.

• Sister Song is a Southern-based organization with a purpose to build an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities.
• The Loveland Foundation is an organization that provides financial assistance to Black women and girls seeking mental health support.
• #FreeBlackMamas is an annual campaign by National Bail Out seeking to raise awareness about the human and financial costs of money bail and emphasize its impact on Black mothers and caregivers.

Learn

• The Anti-Racism Resources List is a comprehensive list of resources to learn and engage in anti-racism work.
• 26 Ways to be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets is a list designed to celebrate all the ways that our communities can engage in liberation.
• Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup is a list of resources that are targeted at parents who want to teach their children to be anti-racist.
• The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

Act

• #JusticeforFloyd: Demand the officers who killed George Floyd are charged with murder is a petition demanding the along with Derek Chauvin, the other three officers be arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. 
• NAACP: We Are Done Dying is a petition with 4 main demands. These are to arrest the remaining 3 officers involved in George Floyd’s murder, demand appointment of an independent special processor to lead the government’s full and impartial investigation of the murder of George Floyd, demand reinstitution by the Department of Justice of consent decrees on police departments and municipal governments across this country that have demonstrated patterns of racism towards and mistreatment of people of color, and demand for sweeping police reform, including federal legislation mandating a zero-tolerance approach in penalizing and/or prosecuting police officers who kill unarmed, non-violent, and non-resisting individuals in an arrest.
• Black Lives Matter: #DefundThe Police is a petition that calls for the end to the systemic racism that allows this culture of corruption to go unchecked and our lives to be taken. They call for a national defunding of police and investment in Black communities.

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November 6, 2019 by admin

Information, Support, Restorative Relaxation

❥  Sharsheret is a nonprofit organization created originally for young Jewish women with breast cancer, and now describes itself as “the Jewish breast and ovarian cancer community.” Sharsheret.org has information about testing, diagnosis, counseling and more—including programs and supports for family members. Check out their webinar “What’s Jewish about breast cancer” and blog posts on medicine, science, and personal journeys.

❥ On the Jewish Women’s Archive podcast “Can We Talk” (at jwa.org) you can listen to a conversation on breast cancer as a Jewish legacy.

❥ Most hospital-based cancer centers have strong psychosocial supports available to patients and families.

❥ Hadassah, the largest Jewish and largest women’s organization, is known for its advocacy on a whole range of health issues. They support research and several educational programs focusing on gynecological cancers, including “Celebrate the TaTas,” and an Uplift project featuring—yes—decorated bras. More at Hadassah.org.

❥ Local in-person programs for women living with cancer are now on offer in many locales. For example, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and Breastlink New York jointly offer a health and wellness program which includes lectures and restorative yoga. Plus, an annual complimentary spa day (kosher lunch and all) welcomes cancer survivors, underwritten in part by Meredith Berkman in memory of her mother. Similar JCC cancer programs exist in communities as disparate as Asheville NC, Palo Alto CA, Scotch Plains NJ, Cincinnati OH and Syracuse NY. Check your local Jewish Community Center to discover specialized programs near you.

❥ Our genes don’t tell the whole story. Not ever woman who gets cancer carries a genetic mutation, so your genetic makeup isn’t the only predictor. You already know the importance of early diagnosis. The U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) puts has useful guidelines about screening for breast and cervical cancers.

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